The Burning Hut

Our racing season is about to begin this weekend and I feel like I am already off to a rocky start. About a month ago I suffered a strained calf and have not been able to actively run or workout as much as I had planned in preparation for the event. It has been frustrating and discouraging at times to have the desire to prepare only to fail due to injury. Too often it’s easy to stay focused on the problem and forget to step back and view our situation from God’s perspective thus opening up a more perfect vantage point which is HIS vantage point. My mom several years ago shared a story with me when I was in a very dark place that I refer back to even to this day. If you have Christ there is always two sides to the story, you can both look inward and dwell on the circumstances or you can look upward and share in God’s glory.

THE BURNING HUT

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhibited
island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he
scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he
eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him
from the elements, and to store his few possessions. But then one day,
after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in
flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened;
everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how could
you do this to me!" he cried.

Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that
was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I
was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke
signal," they replied.

Author Unknown

It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. But we shouldn't
lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain
and suffering. Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the
ground----it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.